The production of fatty alcohols and of furfuryl alcohol is of great interest since these compounds have many applications respectively in the detergent field and for the production of furan resins.
Conventional processes presently used for hydrogenating aldehyde, acid or ester functions, thereby producing an alcohol function, involve very high pressure and very high temperature and therefore require costly and energy-consuming apparatus. In the conventional processes for preparing fatty alcohols by hydrogenation of the corresponding fatty acids or their alkyl esters, the reaction is carried out at a pressure between 250 and 330 bar and a temperature range between 300.degree. and 320.degree. C. When furfuryl alcohol is similarly prepared, the required pressure is usually between 60 and 150 bar.
Furthermore, in conventional processes, the purity of the products obtained, whether fatty alcohol or furfuryl alcohol, is not sufficient for further use. A further distillation step is thus required, which again increases the energy consumption.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a process for producing fatty alcohols or furfuryl alcohol, according to which the hydrogenation of the compounds with an aldehyde, an acid or an ester function is carried out at much lower pressure.